Guyana president dissolves Parliament and calls for elections

After several months with a suspended Parliament, the head of state called citizens to the ballot boxes. The UNASUR vowed to follow the process.

The President of Guayana, Donald Ramotar, announced that he is dissolving the parliament, and called for general and regional elections for next May 11, with the aim of putting an end to the political crisis the country is experiencing. The opposition parties celebrated the initiative.

The legislative power of Guyana ceased operating last November of 2014 by the decision of the president who decided to suspend it —a measure contemplated in the Constitution— in order to avoid what he labeled as "sterile debates" before the elections which were supposed to take place last January.

The legislative power of Guyana ceased operating last November of 2014 by the decision of the president who decided to suspend it for a maximum period of 6 months —a measure contemplated in the Constitution— in order to avoid what he labeled as "sterile debates" before the elections which were supposed to take place last January.

At that time, the opposition —which holds the majority of the Parliament by one seat—, which was about to vote a motion of censure against the president, considered that the decision was anti-democratic and called citizens to protest. The British Commonwealth —which Guyana is part of as a former British colony— also threatened to implement sanctions if the call to elections would be delayed for more than two months.

Ramotar said the delay in calling for elections happened because he wanted to give "opportunities for dialogue" and to resolve the problems that affect the country, but the opposition refused the exchange. Guyana is one of the poorest nations of the Western hemisphere, with over a 35% of the population living with under $1 dollar per day.

The general secretary of the UNASUR —which Guyana is a member to—, Ernesto Samper, said that the regional body is willing to follow the process and to send a technical mission for electoral monitoring, as Ramotar requested. The last general elections of the South American country took place in November of 2011, when the current president obtained a 48% of votes heading the Partido Progresista del Pueblo (People's Progressive Party), and the opposition Alianza por la Unidad Nacional (Alliance for National Unity) finished second with almost a 41%.

The Manquehue Institute for Strategic Studies is a civic organization that pursues both the development of strategic views on main topics related to Latin American countries aimed at the local people, and projecting a faithful image of this region to the world.